The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA: Review

I was asked by a few of my readers about my thoughts on Deciem, in specific the series The Ordinary.

I was so late trying any of their products, which as the skin care nerd I am is actually a shamed off. But my defense is that it is simply so much to try and since a lot of other people had been trying these products out I did not see it as a priority.

Other Serum/essences/ampoules

What I was asked to was to give my opinion since a lot of people seem to read reviews were the product had been given to the blogger or Youtuber for review, and they simply did not trust the review.

I think it is really sad that one can’t rely on some influensers reviews just because the product is send to them for review purposes. It shouldn’t change someone’s opinion on a product just because you did not pay for it. To me it simply doesn’t matter, I am not blogging to keep a company happy.

So just because of this I ordered and paid for five products just to see what the fuss is about. What I bought you can see on this post.

Background

30ml
All skin types
11 USD

What is Alpha Arbutin 2% +HA

Alpha Arbutin is a serum that reduces spots and hyperpigmentation and it is well known for just that. This product also contains Hyaluronic acid, why this acid is one of my favorite products to use, you can read about here.

On Deciem’s homepage underneath every product there is a box with some great fast information. This is a feature I really love and if your skin is sensitive to certain ingredients this is a really simple way to do a basic screening when choosing what to buy.

Ingredients

Ingredient analysis: Skincarisma

Aqua (Water), Alpha-Arbutin, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lactic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

How to use Alpha Arbutin 2% +HA

After cleansing and toning this is the next step. If you are using several serums, just apply them in the order lightest to thickest. Apply a few drops in the morning and evening. If you use it in the morning be sure to use sun protection as well.

My thoughts on The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA.

The product comes in a nice cardboard box, simple and clean. The packaging is nice. It has a frosted glass bottle with a dropper which makes it easy to apply the proper amount of product on your skin. It is not a fancy bottle but I did not expect anything else and I love that there are directions on the bottle as well.

This is a really lightweight serum. It is clear and on the thicker side but really easy to apply and melts as soon as it gets in contact with your skin. There is no added fragrance to the product, but there is some scent. I do prefer my products to be without scent it suits me perfectly.

After applying it penetrates really fast to my skin and it does leave a little stickiness, but that stickiness doesn’t last. It is really gentle to my skin and doesn’t make my skin drier (which is usually a huge problem for me).

As for the results

Sorry, but I am simply not impressed. I could not see or feel any difference on my skin at all. My skin doesn’t have any problems with acne scars so I won’t be able to provide any information on that part. Instead I do have age spots, hyper pigmentation and redness and I was expecting to see some difference at least.

I will not dis this product completely since I do feel that there are reasons for it not working on my skin. For one, I have been using these types of products for a long time. Missha time revolution first treatment essence (which worked amazingly on my skin), C-vitamin serums and many others. So, it might be that I reached the level to what I can do on that part.

Another reason might be that I simply need to test it out for a longer period of time. I have finished the whole bottle before writing this review but some products simply need longer time.

If you are not using the Korean skincare routine, I do think you need to test it out yourself to really know if it any good for your skin. If you are following the Korean routine and already implement this type of product I would not change the one you are using for this (if it is working for you that is).

The serum is cheap which makes it possible for everybody to try out. And the whole idea of this brand is amazing. Even though my experience is not wow, and I probably won’t buy more products than the once I already own. I do feel it is an option for everybody but I would not exchange this for my Korean products.

I give this product 3/7

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